Apparently putting an end to months of speculation and conjecture, it now appears that we have reasonable confirmation of what most folks have long suspected: superstar überbabe and swimsuit model Kate Upton is in fact dating Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander. At least if you are willing to believe Verlander’s grandpa. And if you can believe someone’s granddad, who can you believe?

Richard Verlander Sr. reportedly told Celebuzz that his grandson has been on dates with Upton, among other items of interest.

The entirety of Grandpa Verlander’s comments to the gossip site, as reported by Celebuzz:

”I heard he has been on dates with a Sports Illustrated girl. I saw a photo — she’s beautiful.

“They make a good looking pair because he’s a good looking man too,” said his proud granddad.

“I do know he’s on the dating scene. Justin is a fine boy and whoever he ends up with is lucky. He’s not only a great baseball player, he’s a great guy,” he gushed.

The “Sports Illustrated girl” has to be Upton, right? It’s just hard to believe that Verlander’s grandfather thinks his grandson is dating Christie Brinkley or Kathy Ireland.

So, while Verlander’s granddad doesn’t say that his grandson and the busty model are exclusive, he does report that they have been on dates, which in and of itself is a tremendous accomplishment for nearly any man and something to hang one’s hat on: “I’ve been on a date with Kate-freaking-Upton! How many guys can say that?”

With that in mind, if Verlander’s grandfather’s testimony is to be believed — and frankly, why shouldn’t it? — it’s hard to argue that Verlander is living the high life these days. Fresh off a dominant performance in Detroit’s 6-0 win in Game 5 on Thursday night over the Oakland Athletics in which Verlander only gave up four hits and struck out 11 in a complete game shutout that delivered the Tigers to the ALCS — that’s pretty nifty — now this. For Verlander: Not a bad gig if you can get it.